Back to the full dot-point answer
WalesPoliticsQuick questions
Government in Wales and the UK (AS Unit 1)
Quick questions on The UK constitution: nature, sources and principles - WJEC A-Level Government and Politics
7short Q&A pairs drawn directly from our worked dot-point answer. For full context and worked exam questions, read the parent dot-point page.
What is the sources of the constitution?Show answer
The UK constitution draws on five main sources.
What are the two key doctrines?Show answer
These doctrines can pull against each other. The rule of law implies legal limits on government, yet parliamentary sovereignty means Parliament can in theory pass any law it wishes. In practice the tension is managed by conventions, political accountability and judicial review of how powers are exercised.
What is the debate about reform?Show answer
The central reform question is whether the UK should adopt a codified constitution. Supporters argue it would protect rights, clarify the rules and limit an over-powerful executive. Opponents argue that flexibility is a strength, that the uncodified system has delivered stability, and that codification would hand power to unelected judges. Reforms since 1997 (devolution, the Human Rights Act, the creation of the Supreme Court) have changed the constitution significantly without codifying it.
What is flexibility in action?Show answer
Devolution shows how readily the uncodified constitution can change. The Government of Wales Act 1998 created the National Assembly with limited powers; the 2006 Act and later changes expanded them; and the Senedd and Elections (Wales) Act 2020 renamed the body the Senedd and lowered the voting age to 16. Each step was an ordinary Act of Parliament, requiring no special amendment procedure, something that would be far slower under an entrenched constitution.
What is q1?Show answer
Name three sources of the UK constitution. [3 marks]
What is q2?Show answer
What does parliamentary sovereignty mean? [4 marks]
What is q3?Show answer
To what extent should the UK adopt a codified constitution? [25 marks]
Have a question we have not covered?
This dot-point answer is short enough that we have not extracted many short questions yet. Read the full dot-point answer or ask Mo, our study assistant, in the chat for follow ups.